Taking It All Back
by Anti Darth Ani
Summary: A little boy goes missing from his crib while his entire family is home (a little Martin-Samantha too)
1. Missing

Taking It All Back  
  
Written by: Anti Darth Ani  
  
A Without a Trace fan-fic.  
  
Chapter I : Missing  
  
Little author's note before I start off with my little pilot chapter. This fan-fic is an actual case fic, but there is some underlying Samantha/Martin stuff. Don't worry, it's nothing too bad, but I just wanted to give you a little heads up.  
  
Also, and I'm only going to say this once because I know how annoying it can became, but I'm a sucker for reviews. If you leave reviews, I tend to update and find more to write about because it really just makes my day. So thanks ahead to all my readers and reviewers (all my hardcore fans) because it makes me smile when I see the review alert in my e-mail.  
  
I've tried to write a fan-fic using the same plot before, but I didn't have any luck. I'm hoping I'm actually finish this one. The missing case is actually based on real life. I'll explain this to you a little later.  
  
Spoilers for season one and two. Takes place after the season two finale.  
  
"Mommy!" Samantha Westfall screamed at the top of her lungs, kicking her feet wildly while trying to get her older brother off of her. "Tell Will to get off of me!!!!" she screeched at the top of her lungs, taking a hold of her brother's hair in one hand and yanking it while she continued to kick him in the general area of his stomach.  
  
"Get off of your sister, William," their father shouted from the kitchen. Will didn't hear a word of this, and if he did, he simply ignored it. He pinned his sister harder to the floor, while his younger brother (Samantha's older brother, Bobby) watched the TV in a daze.  
  
"If she would just give the damn remote back to me…" he was cut off by his father suddenly appearing in the room, yanking him off of his sister. His father popped him one right across the butt before he even realized it. At the age of fourteen, Will found himself too old for a spanking, but his father didn't care. "What have I told you about that nasty mouth of yours, William? I told you it was going to get you in trouble one of these days, didn't I? Didn't I?" he father shouted over the noise of the anime Bobby was watching on TV while Samantha cried, still trying to get a few good kicks in on William.  
  
"It's not my fault!" he insisted, "Samantha being a little bi-" before the word could leave his mouth, his dad was dragging him by his arm, very hard, towards the bedrooms in the back hall. "Stop," Will demanded, pulling against his father's hold. "Let go of me! You're hurting my arm."  
  
"I don't ever want to hear you ever use the b word in this house again, and you don't seem to understand that, so I'm going to make you understand, William." His father continued pulling him towards his son's bedroom.  
  
"I wouldn't have to call her one if she didn't act like one!" Will protested, trying once again to pull himself out of his father's grasp, but to no avail. His father slammed open the bedroom door with such might that it slammed against the wall behind it. William cringed, expecting his baby brother to wake up and start his tormenting cries. What shocked the teenager even more was when he didn't hear a single peep from his brother's crib in the corner of the room.  
  
His father shoved him in the general direction of his bed and went to the baby crib to look at his son. Dinner was almost ready, and his wife had asked him to get the baby ready for dinner, making sure his diaper was clean before setting him in his high chair at the table with everyone else in the family. As he got closer to the crib, his heart fell to his stomach and he immediately knew something was wrong. Covering the last few feet to the crib, he peered over the side and his scream for his wife reverberated throughout the house.  
  
The soothing aroma of lavender filled the entire room as the last candle remained lit while all the other died out. Samantha couldn't help let out a soft giggle when his foot brushed up against hers. His head lifted from its claimed spot on her neck and his eyes looked into hers, "Did I just hear you giggle, Samantha Spade?"  
  
Samantha shrugged, running her hairs through his hair before running down his bare back. "It is likely the sound you just heard coming from between my lips was but a soft giggle. On the other hand, it may have been a mocking laugh directed to you and your ridiculous sense of relaxation."  
  
Martin kissed her jaw leisurely before rolling over on the bed next to her, "I'll have you know many a people find this extremely relaxing," he commented, tucking his hands behind his head and relaxing against the pillows. Samantha raised a single eyebrow and shifted so she was looking back at him, "Are you saying this from experience, Fitzgerald?" she asked in a fake accusing tone.  
  
Before Martin had a chance to answer, his beeper went crazy from where it was sitting on the nightstand. He turned the vibrate on earlier during the night, and now the little piece of plastic was moving around in circles on the nightstand while it vibrated. Martin reached over Samantha and grabbed it off of the table. As he looked at the LCD, Samantha's beeper started moving around too, so she picked it up. "Vivian?" she asked Martin as she looked at the name and the number on her beeper.  
  
"Yeah," he replied, already reaching over the side of the bed and searching around in the darkness for his undershirt he had discarded earlier in the night. Samantha groaned while she put her beeper back down on the nightstand. Of all the nights she needs us to come in, she thought, tossing the comforter aside and getting out of the bed to find her clothes.  
  
They both dressed quickly, Samantha yawning the entire time. She roughly brushed through her hair and put it into a messy ponytail before pulling on her coat and boots. "Hey, Martin, did you see where I put my scarf… earlier," Samantha grinned just thinking about the way they had entered her apartment. Martin walked into the room, pulling his arms through his jacket as he walked. He scanned the room quickly, but didn't see it anywhere. He was about to give up, when he spotted something sticking out from under the coffee table. Bending down, Martin picked up the scarf and walked towards Samantha.  
  
She was relieved she wouldn't have to walk around during the cold night with a bare neck, "Thanks," she muttered when he began to wrap it around her neck for her, even though they both knew she was capable of doing this herself. His hands rested on her shoulders for a moment after he was done before he lifted her chin and gave her a short, sweet kiss.  
  
"We'd better get going," he whispered and Samantha just nodded, not trusting herself to say a word. 


	2. Confusion

Taking It All Back  
  
Written by: Anti Darth Ani  
  
Chapter II : Confusion -----  
  
"What took you so long?" Danny Taylor asked Samantha Spade as she walked up to him, standing in front of the Westfall's front porch. "You didn't take a wrong turn, did you Spade?"  
  
"You see these?" Samantha asked, indicating a spot under her eyes, "These are bags from not enough sleep. So just shove it, alright?" Danny held his hands up, but they both grinned.  
  
Vivian nodded to the policeman she was talking to before walking across the freshly cut yard to her coworkers. "Ok, we've got a eighteen month old baby boy missing from his crib. His father and mother were cooking dinner in the kitchen and the three older siblings fighting over the TV remote in the living room. We've got a typical American family here."  
  
"So how did the little boy just disappear?" Martin asked, joining the group and standing right next to Samantha. Danny shot him a glance, wondering how he could be even later than Samantha, but then again everything was possible. Samantha turned her head and gave Martin a small smile before turning her attention back to Vivian.  
  
"Well, if we knew that then we wouldn't have a job here," Vivian grinned while she answered. "Okay, Martin and Samantha, you two go and check out the little boys room. Danny, you can check the backyard and surrounding areas. And I'll try to get some information out of the parents and siblings. This is a time sensitive case, you guys."  
  
Everyone nodded and the group split up. Martin, Samantha, and Vivian headed inside, while Danny went straight for the bushes in the front of the house. Inside the house, Vivian stayed in the living room while Martin and Samantha made their way into the back of the house towards the baby's bedroom he shared with his brother. "Seems kind of fishy, don't you think?" Samantha asked as they headed down the hallway, checking the different rooms on both sides of the hall for a bedroom with a baby crib in it.  
  
Martin shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. I mean, I don't know how the little boy disappeared with his family in the house with him, but I guess if a kidnapper knew the parents were cooking, he could sneak into the bedroom, snatch the sleeping baby and be out before anyone noticed."  
  
"Then I guess our next step is going to be checking with the neighbors to hear it they heard anything that could have come from an intruder," Samantha suggested, breathing a sigh of relief when they finally found the room with the baby crib. "It's about time," she muttered under her breath, following Martin in.  
  
The light in the middle of the room, hanging from the ceiling, flickered a bit when they looked around the room. Samantha looked over the edge of the crib while Martin checked the teenager's bed. "You don't think the family could have done it and then covered it up?" Martin asked, looking around the bed and the desk next to it. Samantha looked at the blankets, which were pushed roughly to the right corner in the back. Running her hand against the railing she wondered why someone would want to kidnap this baby while the entire family was home.  
  
"Sam?" Martin asked, shaking her out of her daze. "Are you alright?" He glanced up from the window he had moved to examine at his coworker. Samantha gave him a weak smile and nodded, "I'm as fine as you can be when you're working this job." She turned around to check the window with him, but as she did, she pressed a little firmer on the railing and with a sudden, sharp crack the lock released and the slide crashed down. Samantha jumped away from it, her hand intensively reaching for her heart. She bumped into Martin, who reached out to steady her.  
  
They both stared at the crib's railing, "Well that was odd," Martin commented. Samantha nodded, leaning against him a little to try to get further away from the object that had almost given her a heart attack. Martin squeezed her shoulder to reassure her and she stepped back to the crib, bending down next to it to get a better look at the lock. Martin went back to studying the window.  
  
-----  
  
Danny Taylor grumbled a few choice words under his breath as yet another bush limb snagged against his jacket. A couple had already scratched his face and he was getting tired of looking through the shrubbery for the missing boy. He was sure Vivian could use his help more in questioning the remaining five family members instead of having him cut himself up outside. But whatever, she was the boss and they were now one person short, so he would do whatever she asked him to do.  
  
Pulling his hand back out of the brush, he stood up and brushed off his jacket to get all the loose leaves off. This job really wasn't suiting him much anymore, he thought as he walked around the side of the house. The Westfall family didn't even have a fence going into the backyard, at least not one that Danny could see yet. All he saw was darkest, except one spot on the side of the house where a flood light hung from the wall. No lights shone out of the windows and the entire neighborhood seemed like it had already fallen asleep. No sounds from cars or little kids screaming.  
  
Creepy, Danny thought while he made he way slowly down the side of the house. It was like a setting out of a horror movie and Danny was waiting for a person to come crashing out of the window.  
  
-----  
  
Vivian felt something was off with this family. The kids stared at the TV screen as if possessed them. No wonder the little boy disappeared. A bomb could go off in the other room and they would think it was just the popcorn in the microwave. The mother and father truly seemed worried about their son. Mrs. Westfall kept sobbing on her husband's shoulder, shaking her hand back and forth as if she couldn't believe her son was really gone.  
  
"You will find him, won't you?" she begged Vivian, slumping down into an oversized armchair. "If anything's happened to him…"  
  
"We're doing our best, ma'am, but without any details, we've got a lot to get through," Vivian told in her a soothing voice.  
  
"He's just a baby," she cried against her husband's shoulder. "He's just a baby…"  
  
"MOM! Will took the remote again! I want to watch The Powerpuff Girls and Will changed the channel! Make him go back!" Samantha screamed. She smacked her brother on the arm and tried to get the remote, but he held it out of her reach. "GIVE IT BACK, WILL!" her voice echoed off the walls, sounding three times louder than it actually was.  
  
Vivian sighed, rubbing her temple. She thought her son was loud. This entire family was pure chaos!  
  
-----  
  
"No sign of forced entry," Martin called over his shoulder at Samantha. Samantha was busy lifting the side of the crib back up, trying to get it to latch again and having an impossibly hard time at it. "I'm never going to get this thing to stay shut!" she snapped, loosing her grip and having it crash back down again. "Argh!" she let out a frustrated grunt before giving the crib a nice firm kick. Martin couldn't help but grin.  
  
"You find my anger amusing?" she asked, coming over to stand behind him. She rested her chin on his shoulder to be able to have a look at the window too. "You're right, no sign of forced entry. It locks from the inside and it hasn't been touched."  
  
"Which leaves us back at square one, not knowing how the little guy disappeared," Martin sighed, rubbing at his eyes. He hadn't had but one hour, max, or sleep last night and Vivian was expecting a hundred and ten percent on this case. There was no way Martin was going to be able to concentrate was Samantha so close to him like this.  
  
"Hey Sam," he started, but was interrupted by her terrified scream as she jumped away from him and the window. 


	3. Mayhem

Taking It All Back  
  
Written by: Anti Darth Ani  
  
Chapter III : Mayhem  
  
-----  
  
Danny Taylor shot away from the window as soon as Samantha screamed. He stumbled backwards on a bush and fell flat on his butt. Martin disappeared from view only to have Samantha standing in front of the window again. "God, Danny!" she snapped. "You're such an ass, sneaking up on us like that!" Danny took his time getting up, wincing at the pain in his backside.  
  
"I wasn't sneaking up on anybody," Danny retorted, getting to his feet and looking at them through the window. "I didn't even know you two were in there." He snuck a glance over his shoulder, hoping the neighbors wouldn't call the police about an intruder. That was the last thing the poor FBI agent needed right now.  
  
"Well you shouldn't be poking your head into the windows of a house you know someone's missing in," Samantha hissed before turning away. Danny shot Martin a confused glance as if to say 'What the hell?' He had no idea what she meant by the statement because to him it made no sense whatsoever. Martin just shrugged and left sight.  
  
-----  
  
"God," Samantha muttered under her breath, running her hands through her hair after she had taken it out of the ponytail. Her hands were shaking slightly and she couldn't help but be relieved it had only been Danny at the window. Martin walked over to her, and after making sure no one was walking down the hall towards them to see what she had screamed about, he wrapped one arm around her and pulled her into a hug. "Are you okay?" he asked her. "You about gave me a heart attack there when you started screaming. I had no idea what the hell was scaring you."  
  
Samantha nodded against his jacket before pulling her head away, "Yeah, I'm fine. Danny just scared the crap out of me for a second. I'm not used to seeing people popping out of nowhere to look at me through a window."  
  
Martin wanted to smile, but he knew if he did that Samantha would hurt him - in more ways than one. Samantha slowly pulled away from him and went back to the crib, trying to get the stupid railing to click back into place. "This really does seem pointless," she muttered after a moment of fighting with the railing, only to have it fall back down time after time. "I give up," she sighed as she let it fall one last time and followed Martin out of the bedroom and into the living room, where mayhem was currently taking place.  
  
-----  
  
"Will, just give your sister the damn remote, already!" Mr. Westfall shouted over his son and daughter arguing. Vivian wondered if she was ever going to be able to get any work done on this case with all the fighting in the family. Having Martin and Samantha suddenly appear from the hallway didn't help matters much either.  
  
Vivian looked up from the blank page in her mini notebook to the two FBI agents. Samantha looked a little worse for the wear, but Martin seemed to be handling everything fine. Vivian noticed the way he placed his hand on the small of her back and the way a tiny smile appeared on her face. "What did you two find out?" Vivian called out over the noise, but Martin and Samantha both gave her questioning glances, so she got up from her seat and motioned them out onto the porch through the opened sliding glass doors.  
  
"What did you two find out?" she repeated the question when they were further away from all the noise in the house.  
  
"Nothing important," Samantha reported, covering a yawn with the back of her hand. "There's no way someone could have gotten through that bedroom window. It's locked from the inside and no one's touched it. Besides the railing on the side of the crib not wanting to say closed, there's nothing odd about the boy's room."  
  
Vivian nodded, glancing back at the madness in the living room. Did she really want to go in there without any news? No, she decided, she didn't. She would check with Danny before she told the Westfall family anything. "Have you guys seen Danny at all?" Vivian asked, hoping he had had better luck than the three of them.  
  
Martin looked at Samantha uneasily, "Um, yeah, we've seen him. He, uh, stuck his head up against the window of the bedroom from the outside. It scared Samantha a little," Martin downplayed it a bit.  
  
Vivian nodded and then saw Danny jumping over a short chain fence into the back yard. He walked over to his coworkers, a grimace set on his face, "Nothing," he reported.  
  
Samantha's shoulders visibly slumped. At this rate, they wouldn't be any better off in three hours and every second that passed was another chance that the little boy had drowned. Turning around to face the house, Samantha watched at the older brother yelled something at the mother, who was pulling on the younger boy's hand, trying to get the Gameboy out of it. By the look on the little girl's face, she was still upset about the stupid remote, tears streaming down her cheeks. Besides the obvious, something seemed out of place. "Hey Vivian?" she turned slowly to face her supervisor.  
  
"Yeah, Samantha?" she asked, looking up from the grass on the yard.  
  
Samantha turned back to face the other way and pointed at the sliding glass doors, "Were those open when we got here or did someone open them?"  
  
Vivian looked at Samantha, wondering where she was going with this train of thought. "We're the only ones here from the government, and I know I didn't touch it. Danny, you were in the backyard, and you and Martin were inside. So I guess it was already opened before we got here. Why are you asking?"  
  
Samantha glanced up at Martin's face before looking at Vivian. "What if the little boy wasn't kidnapped? What if he managed to get over that stubborn railing and out into the backyard?"  
  
"What about the family members inside the house?" Danny asked, shoving his hands into his pockets, trying to protect them from the ever growing cold. "He has three older siblings and two parents who were between the bedroom and the backyard."  
  
Martin let out a little chuckle, "You haven't been inside that house, Danny. It is so chaotic, they wouldn't noticed if an elephant stormed through their roof. That little boy could have made it out of their without a problem."  
  
Vivian looked at her group, "So where does this leave us?" 


	4. Madness

Taking It All Back  
  
Written by: Anti Darth Ani  
  
Chapter IV : Madness  
  
-----  
  
"Dylan!" William Westfall yelled at the top of his lungs, swinging his flashlight around in the opposite direction. "Dylan!" he screamed into the darkness of the night, but no reply came. The neighborhood was now littered with the Westfall family and neighbors with flashlights out in the darkness, searching for the missing baby. "Dylan, where are you?" For a fourteen year old teenager, Will was tough for his age. But the fear crept up in his throat and silent tears began to fall when no one found his little brother.  
  
In the Westfall house, Mrs. Westfall frantically searched through all of the rooms of her house, looking for her youngest son. Samantha, Martin, Danny, and Vivian all spread out in the backyard, searching through the uncut grass for the little boy. Danny checked the tool shed while Vivian aimed a flashlight up the tree to the wooden tree house. Nothing. Martin checked on the sides of the house while Samantha searched at the back perimeter.  
  
A sinking feeling caught in her chest when her flashlight hit the fence. "Vivian!" she yelled, getting a bit closer, willing herself to be wrong. Vivian and Martin both came rushing over. Danny soon followed after he was sure Dylan wasn't anywhere near the shed. "What is it?" Vivian asked, but as soon as she looked where Samantha's flashlight was pointing, she knew it couldn't be good.  
  
"The gate," Samantha whispered. "It was open when I got here." She turned to face the other FBI agents. "What if…" she couldn't force herself to finish the sentence.  
  
"We need a canoe," Danny thought allowed before dashing back towards the house and shouting to get Mr. Westfall's attention. Samantha just shook her head in disbelief, not being able to imagine the possibilities if her hunch was right. For once, Samantha Spade didn't want to be right. She wanted to be wrong, very wrong.  
  
Vivian's pager went off, and she looked down at the LCD screen. "Oh god," she groaned, before turning back to Samantha and Martin, "I've got another emergency I've got to get to right away. My son's just been emitted into the hospital."  
  
Martin nodded and Vivian ran off towards the house to tell Danny, but Danny was rushing back out with Mr. Westfall and someone they didn't know. The two men behind Danny were carrying a metal canoe over their heads. Vivian stopped only to tell him she was leaving before heading out of sight. Samantha stayed frozen as Danny, Mr. Westfall, and the other men pushed through the gate. Mr. Westfall immediately got into the canoe and Danny got in along with him. The stranger stood to the side, allowing Samantha and Martin to get in, but they both decided against it.  
  
Danny and Mr. Westfall pushed off of the side and started canoeing through the canal. "I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose my child in the water at night," she told Martin in barely a whisper. The stranger headed off back through the house, leaving Samantha and Martin alone, waiting from a sound or signal, anything, from Danny to let them know they found Dylan.  
  
"I know what you mean," Martin whispered. "Just thinking about that being Ava makes me sick," Martin told her. Samantha smiled, remembering little Ava, Martin's cousin's young daughter. "How could anyone let this happen? Why didn't anyone notice?"  
  
"Martin?" Samantha asked, looking up towards Martin. He looked down at her, raising an eyebrow in question. "After this is all over…" she started, her sentence trailing off at the end.  
  
"After it's over, Miss Spade?" he questioned, but a grin was already forming on his face. Samantha grinned backed and raised her eyebrows up and down in response, sliding one arm around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. "I just want this nightmare to be over already," she sighed.  
  
Martin nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Her skin was cold to the touch and Martin worried she might get sick, but Samantha didn't seem to mind at all. Resting her head against Martin, she willed everything horrible to go away, wanting nothing more than to find poor Dylan Westfall in safety and give him back to his parents. But as Samantha heard Danny and Mr. Westfall's shouts down the canal, she knew what she was hoping for wouldn't be found. 


	5. Found

Taking It All Back  
  
Written by: Anti Darth Ani  
  
Chapter V : Found  
  
-----  
  
"Oh my god!" Mrs. Westfall screamed when she saw Martin and Mr. Westfall coming back to the house in the canoe. Her husband yelled for her to run and get the EMT. Samantha didn't let go of Martin when she saw Danny lift the little boy out of the canoe. Instead, she clung tighter to his jacket, squeezing her eyes shut, not being able to process the thought that the little boy was gone.  
  
"He's not breathing!" Danny shouted over the sudden commotion of the EMT arriving, pushing Martin and Samantha aside. She looked at the fragile little boy, the pale blue lips and the closed eyes. Even the look of terror on his face before she shut her eyes again and buried her head into Martin's shoulder. He tried to reassure her, but the image of the little boy wouldn't let him.  
  
"I've got a pulse!" the EMT yelled after a few silent moments of working with Dylan. Mrs. Westfall let out a cry of relief and Will, who had shown up shortly after the EMT, wrapped his arm around his crying sister. Samantha looked up from Martin's shoulder and glanced at the little boy on the floor. He looked so helpless; she couldn't believe he was breathing.  
  
"Move out of the way!" the EMT exclaimed, trying to get Dylan to the ambulance in order to take him to the hospital. Samantha watched in silence as the EMT and Mrs. Westfall rushed back to the front yard and into the ambulance. Mr. Westfall took his children inside the house and Martin, Samantha, and Danny finally made it back to their vehicles parked out on the street.  
  
"Are you alright, Samantha?" Danny asked, looking at his friend with careful eyes. "Maybe you should get some sleep, you don't look well."  
  
Samantha gave Danny a weak grin, "I'm just a little worn out. At least Dylan's going to make it."  
  
Danny nodded, "I still can't believe he pulled it through. When we found him floating in the water, I was sure he wasn't going to make it. I'm glad I was wrong."  
  
"We all are," Martin agreed. Danny said goodbye to them and headed to his car before taking off at top speed. Martin pulled Samantha back to him as soon as Danny's car disappeared around the bend. "What a hellish day," he commented.  
  
"I feel like dancing," Samantha muttered against his shoulder where her head was resting. She did a little two step before coming to a stop and resting one hand just instead his jacket, resting under his shirt but on top of his undershirt. Placing a little kiss on his jaw, her finger poke that one spot on his stomach that always got him.  
  
Martin let out a little puff of air next to Samantha hair. "Are you trying to seduce me, Miss Spade?" he questioned, brushing a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear. "Because, God knows, it's working."  
  
Samantha groaned and let out the smallest cough, "I'm so tired."  
  
"Shall we get out of here then before Mr. Westfall calls the police?" Martin asked, turning to face his SUV. Samantha nodded and reluctantly let go of him, the comfort of being in his arms vanishing, and headed to her own vehicle. She knew she would be seeing him soon. 


	6. Crushed

Taking It All Back  
  
Written by: Anti Darth Ani  
  
Chapter VI : Crushed  
  
-----  
  
"This is perfect," Samantha murmured, lacing her fingers with Martin's. "Just what the doctor ordered." She rested her head back against his chest, letting out a yawn she had been holding back for ages.  
  
"I due hope your doctor is a female then," Martin leaned his head so that his lips barely grazed against her ear, "because you know I don't go both ways, Miss Spade."  
  
Samantha moaned in desire when he whispered these words against his ear. Her free hand went behind her head to run through his hair and Martin ducked his head to kiss her shoulder left uncovered by the tank top she was wearing, which rode up when her arm went back. Martin took his free hand to trace small circles around her bellybutton. "God I am so tired," Samantha told him while another yawn escaped.  
  
Martin pulled away, leaving his hand on her stomach. "Well, now that really puts me in the mood," he mumbled, closing his eyes and leaning back against the pillow. He had to admit, though, that he was very tired as well. Today had been a day from hell for both on them.  
  
"Hey Martin, turn the volume up," Samantha said suddenly, leaning forward in the bed, looking at the TV on her dresser they left muted. Martin reached for the remote, sitting on the nightstand, and clicked the mute button. The news announcer's voice filled the modern bedroom, "…Earlier this morning, little Dylan Westfall disappeared from his house. In a huge effort from the FBI and his family and neighbors, they found Dylan in the canal. A local EMT performed CPR and managed to revive the young boy. Unfortunately, on the way to the hospital in an ambulance, the Dylan died because his lungs refused to allow oxygen in. Now to the weather…" Martin clicked the off button and put the remote back onto the nightstand.  
  
Samantha stared at the blank TV screen. After all they had done for the little boy, he hadn't made it. She wondered how Danny would feel about it when he heard the news. Silently, she prayed he wouldn't find out until tomorrow so that at least tonight he would get a good night's sleep. She already knew she wasn't going to. Martin gently squeezed her fingers with his. Samantha shifted on the bed to look up at his face, resting her chin on his chest, giving him the weakest smile yet. He ran one hand through her hair and kissed her forehead. Both knew that no words would be able to make them feel better about the situation.  
  
-----  
  
Author's note: Thanks to all of my wonderful readers and reviewers. I really like to write Without a Trace fan-fics and hope to write some more when I have some extra time on my hands. This fan-fic is actually based on a true story about a little boy who lived across the street and down a couple of houses from mine. I was one of the neighbors out in the street trying to find the poor little guy. I remember the feeling I got when they found him out in the canal. And I had never met him. His family moved closer to us after the incident, getting off of the water. I got to know the two brothers and sister fairly well before they moved again recently. 


End file.
